1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to very small watercrafts for use in water sports.
2. Prior Art
Small personal watercrafts are typically used to transport divers, sports fishermen, and hunters to their favorite waters. Power boats are traditionally the most common type of personal watercraft. However, due to environmental concerns, power boats are increasingly banned from lakes, rivers, and beaches. As a result, human powered watercrafts are becoming more popular. Canoes and kayaks comprise the majority of such watercrafts, but their size and weight prevent them from being used in difficult-to-reach areas, because they cannot be easily carried far from automobiles. Although inflatable floatation devices are lightweight and easy to carry, their blunt shapes severely limit their speed on the water, and they are also susceptible to puncture by fish hooks and sharp rocks.
The personal watercrafts shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,885,123 to Clifford and D290,108 to Wolfe are each comprised of a U-shaped tube with a flexible rear-facing seat connected between its arms. The back of the craft is open for easy entry and exit. The craft is propelled by kicking the legs, preferably with swim fins on. Due to the small diameter of the tube, the draft of the craft is relatively deep, that is, the crafts sits deeply in the water. The flexible seat is formed into a blunt shape projecting well below the tube when a person is seated in it. The deep draft, combined with the blunt seat and blunt front end of the tube, makes the craft very slow and difficult to use on shallow water. A rider will particularly have difficulty going over seaweed. Further, the deep seating position and the soft seat make the rider vulnerable to injury when striking hard underwater objects.
U.S. Pat. No. D362,706 to Wamsley shows a U-shaped fishing float with a seat attached to a rigid platform between its arms. The back of the craft is open for easy entry and exit. However, the speed of the craft and its ability to go over seaweed are even more severely limited by the completely straight, flat, and vertical bow. Also, the completely flat bottom reduces stability and directional control.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,597,277 to Mayfield shows a personal watercraft having a hull with a pointed bow and a closed stern. A full keel projects well below the hull, and a rear-facing seat is arranged within the keel. The legs of the rider project into the water through a hole in the keel. However, the closed stern hinders the legs when they are kicking for propulsion, and also makes entry and exit very difficult. The deeply projecting keel slows the craft, and makes going over seaweed very difficult. The deep draft also makes operation on shallow water difficult.
Although prior art personal watercrafts are small and lightweight, their odd shapes make them awkward to carry by hand. In rough waters, the riders may be thrown off these crafts. They cannot stow equipment or supplies. They also cannot be easily concealed when used in hunting. Some prior art watercrafts require inflation or assembly before use.